Circle City Wiffle Sends Decorated 2026 Draft Class to Big League Wiffle

By Jorf Porsson
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​Three of the last four NWLA (Yellow Bat) National Championships belong to Circle City Wiffle (2022, 2024, 2025). Now CCW turns its focus to the 2026 Big League Wiffle Draft.

The pipeline is already proven. Myc Witty continues to lead the LA Naturals. Reid Werner, Will Smithey, and Brendan Dudas have yet to miss a cut with the NY Green Apples. Connor Smith recently captured a BLW tournament title in Dallas with the challenger team On The Rise.

​The transition from CCW to BLW is no longer theoretical.

The 2026 draft class reflects production, championships, and sustained impact.

Alex Gurtcheff is coming off the kind of season that forces people to take notice. He has launched 103 career home runs, inside the top ten all time, and carries a 1.343 career OPS. In 2025 he earned First Team Hitter (2025), All-CCW (2025), HR Derby Champion (2025), and Most Improved Player (2025). He is also a three-time All Star (2023, 2024, 2025) and an NWLA Participant (2025). He led CCW in home runs in 2025 and finished as Yellow Slugger runner-up. His explosive breakout season proved he can anchor a lineup, and the career efficiency proves it was not a fluke.

Coby Taylor’s career is tied directly to winning. He has produced 30 career home runs and 67 Runs Created while playing meaningful innings during title seasons. He is a two-time CCW Champion (2023, 2024) and an NWLA Participant (2023). Taylor understands how to operate inside structured systems where every at bat has weight. Championship contributors have a track record of carrying that reliability forward.

Connor Smith can boast about something most prospects cannot: a BLW trophy. He just won a BLW tournament in Dallas as a two-way contributor. In CCW play he owns a 1.239 career OPS with 29 home runs and 96 Runs Created and has represented the league on the NWLA stage. There is no projection required. He has already shown he can succeed in the exact format he is entering.

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Connor Young brings two-way value and upward trajectory. In fast-pitch CCW play, he has recorded 7 career home runs and 26 Runs Created while carrying an OPS just under 1.000 across his seasons. His breakout came in 2025 when he hit .390 with a 1.056 OPS over 59 at-bats. On the mound that same season, he went 3–0 with 21 strikeouts across 14 innings, throwing two complete games and a shutout. He also launched the Dirtyard Classic–clinching home run off Reid Werner in Game 3. Young has already demonstrated he can impact the biggest moment on the biggest stage.

Dylan Jones is production and championships wrapped together. He has hit 115 career home runs, sixth all time, and driven in 360 Runs Created, seventh all time, backed by a 1.254 career OPS. He is a three-time NWLA Champion (2022, 2024, 2025), a two-time CCW Champion (2023, 2024), First Team Hitter (2023), two-time Second Team Hitter (2021, 2025), All-CCW (2023), and Manager of the Year (2023). He has been a stalwart in CCW’s national team lineup and one of the most dependable bats during title runs. A lineup can be comfortably built around that kind of résumé.

Dustin Laugel is fresh off a championship season and continues to climb. He has recorded 52 career strikeouts and logged significant NWLA innings with YiSH and DIRT. In 2025 he was part of a CCW Championship (2025) and represented the league as an NWLA Participant (2025). Laugel brings energy, fills defined roles, and responds well to high-stakes moments.

Holden Palmer’s résumé begins with a number that commands attention: 670 career strikeouts, fourth all time, across 353.8 innings. He is a two-time NWLA Champion (2024, 2025), a three-time All-CCW selection (2016, 2017, 2018), a three-time Second Team Pitcher (2016, 2017, 2022), and Most Improved Player (2022). He has finished as a top ten pitcher in each of the last four seasons. Different hitters, different eras, different stages, same swing-and-miss profile.

Keegan Caughey has compiled one of the most durable offensive careers in CCW history. He ranks top ten all time in career hits and RBI, has surpassed 100 career home runs, and sits ninth all time in Runs Created with 354. He is an NWLA Champion (2025) and a three-time CCW Champion (2015, 2024, 2025). He earned First Team Hitter (2018), two-time Second Team Hitter honors (2014, 2020), and All-CCW (2014). Back-to-back league champion. A decade of production. Sustained top-tier output is rare.

Mitch Buis brings stability to any pitching staff. He ranks top ten all time in CCW strikeouts with 352 across nearly 200 innings. He earned All-CCW (2023), Manager of the Year (2021), is a three-time NWLA Participant (2021, 2023, 2025), and a two-time All Star (2021, 2025). He has been nationally tested with DIRT and remains one of the more durable arms available.Off the field, he has earned the respect of his teammates and serves as the President of the CCW Players Association.

Nolan Karwoski has developed inside one of the most competitive windows in league history. He has recorded 10 career home runs and 30 Runs Created while competing during a stretch that produced three NWLA championships in four years. He understands preparation, expectation, and the standards that come with winning.

Rudy Lyon’s numbers speak for themselves. 172 career home runs, second all time. 480 Runs Created, fourth all time. 1.348 career OPS. 666 strikeouts, fifth all time. He is a two-time NWLA Champion (2022, 2024), Playoff MVP (2022), five-time All-CCW selection (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024), two-time First Team Pitcher (2018, 2019), First Team Hitter (2019), HR Derby Champion (2023), Most Improved Player (2018), and Manager of the Year (2024). Few players in league history have controlled games on both sides the way Lyon has, and his résumé stands up in any era.
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Circle City Wiffle’s track record is no longer confined to one league. Three NWLA championships in four years. Active BLW contributors already producing. A recent BLW tournament champion entering the pool. The 2026 draft class arrives with numbers, rings, and proof of concept.

Big League Wiffle is the first professional Wiffle ball league in the country, built around city-based franchises, national tournaments, and a growing World Series stage. The league features celebrity ownership, including Kevin Costner (LA Naturals), Gary Vaynerchuk (NY Green Apples), David Adelman, and Dude Perfect, helping elevate the sport’s visibility nationwide. With growing funding, elite venues, and a rapidly expanding fan base, BLW has turned backyard Wiffle into a structured professional circuit showcasing top talent from across the country.